Cloud computing is the use of computing resources (hardware and software) which are available in a remote location and accessible over a network, such as the Internet. Users are able to buy these computing resources (including storage and computing power) as a utility on demand. Cloud computing entrusts remote services with a user's data, software and computation. Use of virtual computing resources can provide a number of advantages including cost advantages and/or ability to adapt rapidly to changing computing resource needs.
Typically, users connect to a cloud provider via the Internet. However, more recently, customers can also connect from their on-premise network over a private, dedicated connection that in some cases is facilitated by a so-called third-party connectivity provider (also called a partner provider). Thus, a dedicated network connection is established between the customer premises and the cloud provider, which allows faster speeds, lower latencies, lower network costs, and higher security. Using, for example, industry standard 802.1q VLANs, this dedicated connection can be partitioned into multiple virtual interfaces. This allows customers to use the same connection to access public resources, such as objects stored in the cloud using public IP address space, and private resources, such as instances running within a virtual private IP space, while maintaining network separation between the public and private environments.
Improvements need to be made in the area of testing dedicated interfaces between a third-party connectivity provider and a cloud provider.